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FROM THE ISRAELI MILITARY TO A THRIVING BUSINESS, THIS ENTREPRENEUR IS BEYOND INSPIRING
Have you ever noticed how highly curated the B3 Shop is? That’s because the barre3 retail team works tirelessly not only to find the best products for our community, but also to make sure those products are made by companies that align with our values. The new skincare line from Teami couldn’t be a more perfect example.
The Teami products in the B3 Shop—this glow-inducing face oil and this detoxifying mask—are made from simple, natural ingredients that are safe for all skin types. And the woman behind the products—a fireball of an entrepreneur (and barre3 client!) named Adi Arezzini—is an inspiring example of what it means to be empowered from within.
We sat down with Adi to talk about her fascinating journey from serving in the Israeli military to creating a thriving business. Read on to learn about how she solved her digestive issues when doctors couldn’t, why she started a skincare line, and how she applies her facial oil to get the glowiest results.
BARRE3: You served in the Israeli army for two years. What was that like?
ADI: I was 21, just trying to figure out my life and I spontaneously decided to join the army and auditioned for a role as a fitness instructor for combat soldiers. It was amazing. It was really hard, but it was so fun. I was teaching a group of 80 18-year-old males. I had to go through a 4-month bootcamp to train for the job. You learned a lot about how to do workouts in the desert and in the field. Using your own body weight, just the elements. No barbells, no crossfit. We were challenged to design a really good workout with only what we had available to us.
BARRE3: And it was during your service that you began to experience digestive issues?
ADI: All the food I was putting in my body wasn’t being properly digested. I was going to the bathroom maybe once a week. It was an incredibly uncomfortable experience. I felt so uncomfortable, I would cry. I looked like I was 5 months pregnant.
The food I was eating wasn’t organic. It wasn’t fresh. It wasn’t farm-to-table. It was “How many french fries can we make for 3,000 people?” It was food made for the masses. I became addicted to coffee because it was the only thing that could stimulate my digestive system, but then I became immune to that and it stopped working. I started freaking out and I had to get a colonic. But that was a band-aid, it wasn’t a solution. I wanted to get to the root cause of the problem.
BARRE3: What did the doctors say?
ADI: With digestive health, doctors can’t see what’s going on inside of your body unless they literally put a camera down your throat. They can feel on the outside if your stomach is bloated and they can prescribe you laxatives or tell you to eat more fiber—things that I was already trying to do.
BARRE3: When you came back to the States, you decided to try to solve the problem yourself. Where did you start?
ADI: I started cooking for myself and my digestion started improving, but not all the way. So then I started researching gut health and colon health. All of these books I was reading talked about traditional ways to solve digestive problems, and many of them mentioned tea. So I bought all of these teas that said “detox.” None of them worked for me.
Then I linked up with my business partner who came from the coffee and tea background so that I could understand the ingredients needed to make my own digestive health teas. My mom had a tea garden (sage, rosemary, lemon grass, stevia), so I went to her for many of the ingredients.
I made a formula and started using it myself, and it completely cleared up my digestive issues. And not in a band-aid type way. It helped to the extent that I didn’t need to drink the tea anymore. I started giving it out to my friends and they loved it. I couldn’t believe how many women were experiencing the same digestive problems I was having.
BARRE3: How did you go from giving your tea blend out to friends to starting a company?
ADI: We made 100 units of the product, and I started posting about it on Instagram. We didn’t have a marketing budget, and I didn’t have any marketing experience. I didn’t go to college. But I fell in love with the ability to connect with potential customers on social media. We grew to 100k followers in the first year and continued to invest in our social media community from there. This social media presence allowed us to reach customers directly, even when we were quite small, and we were able to become profitable in the first year. Now, 5 years in, we have 940k amazing Instagram followers.
BARRE3: You could have just stuck with your hugely successful tea blends. What made you decide to venture into skincare, as well?
ADI: The reason I started Teami Blends in the first place was to help solve my customers’ health issues, naturally. I started seeing that there wasn’t a good solution out there that I could recommend for their beauty and skincare products. I decided to make my own because that is how I could truly ensure the products were clean, vegan, and plant-based with no BS!
BARRE3: The world of skincare products is vast. How did you decide which products to make?
ADI: I ask my community on the @teamiblends Instagram all the time! I am making the products for them, so who better to ask? Once I know what they are looking for in their skincare routine, I start researching holistic alternatives and formulate the products.
BARRE3: What surprised you about venturing into the skincare market?
ADI: I couldn’t believe ingredient profiles to begin with. Some products say they have superfood ingredients in them, but it might be like one drop of that ingredient! I learned that you have to look at the first ingredients listed. Those will be the highest percentages in the product. I started understanding that a lot of skincare back in the day was made to smell a certain way, but not necessarily deliver a great result. When I make my skincare products, I make sure that they are truly helping my customer and elevating their skincare ritual.
BARRE3: How do you source your ingredients for your skincare products? How do you test them?
ADI: I get them from other farms or factories here in America. There are plenty of sources to get raw materials. I always test them on myself. One time an ingredient I ordered gave me a rash, so I was like “Nope, not going in my skincare products!” Mainly, I look for pure, raw ingredients from ethical farmers or factories.
BARRE3: Your skin is glowing. Does that have anything to do with the Glow Facial Oil?
ADI: I use it on my skin in the morning after cleansing and toning my skin. I apply two or three drops in the palm of my hand, rub my palms together to warm up the oil, and apply to my skin in upward, circular motions. This leaves my skin hydrated and glowing. It serves as a great makeup primer, too.
BARRE3: What motivated you to create the Green Tea Detox Mask?
ADI: There are so many masks on the market that are meant to get rid of toxins in the skin, but when I would use these masks my skin would hurt, turn red, and get super dry and flaky. I wasn’t really getting any benefit from them. I made my own mask with three superfood ingredients, matcha, bentonite clay and lemon grass, which gently get rid of toxins in the skin, pull out impurities, and leave your skin feeling soft and nourished. I use this mask two or three times per week, but if you have acne, you’ll want to use it 3 to 5 times per week. It was the first skincare product I ever created, and it is still our best seller!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Adi! Teami’s Glow Facial Oil and Green Tea Detox Mask are available in the B3 Shop. You can find information about Teami’s tea blends on their website.
Have you ever noticed how highly curated the B3 Shop is? That’s because the barre3 retail team works tirelessly not only to find the best products for our community, but also to make sure those products are made by companies that align with our values. The new skincare line from Teami couldn’t be a more perfect example.
The Teami products in the B3 Shop—this glow-inducing face oil and this detoxifying mask—are made from simple, natural ingredients that are safe for all skin types. And the woman behind the products—a fireball of an entrepreneur (and barre3 client!) named Adi Arezzini—is an inspiring example of what it means to be empowered from within.
We sat down with Adi to talk about her fascinating journey from serving in the Israeli military to creating a thriving business. Read on to learn about how she solved her digestive issues when doctors couldn’t, why she started a skincare line, and how she applies her facial oil to get the glowiest results.
BARRE3: You served in the Israeli army for two years. What was that like?
ADI: I was 21, just trying to figure out my life and I spontaneously decided to join the army and auditioned for a role as a fitness instructor for combat soldiers. It was amazing. It was really hard, but it was so fun. I was teaching a group of 80 18-year-old males. I had to go through a 4-month bootcamp to train for the job. You learned a lot about how to do workouts in the desert and in the field. Using your own body weight, just the elements. No barbells, no crossfit. We were challenged to design a really good workout with only what we had available to us.
BARRE3: And it was during your service that you began to experience digestive issues?
ADI: All the food I was putting in my body wasn’t being properly digested. I was going to the bathroom maybe once a week. It was an incredibly uncomfortable experience. I felt so uncomfortable, I would cry. I looked like I was 5 months pregnant.
The food I was eating wasn’t organic. It wasn’t fresh. It wasn’t farm-to-table. It was “How many french fries can we make for 3,000 people?” It was food made for the masses. I became addicted to coffee because it was the only thing that could stimulate my digestive system, but then I became immune to that and it stopped working. I started freaking out and I had to get a colonic. But that was a band-aid, it wasn’t a solution. I wanted to get to the root cause of the problem.
BARRE3: What did the doctors say?
ADI: With digestive health, doctors can’t see what’s going on inside of your body unless they literally put a camera down your throat. They can feel on the outside if your stomach is bloated and they can prescribe you laxatives or tell you to eat more fiber—things that I was already trying to do.
BARRE3: When you came back to the States, you decided to try to solve the problem yourself. Where did you start?
ADI: I started cooking for myself and my digestion started improving, but not all the way. So then I started researching gut health and colon health. All of these books I was reading talked about traditional ways to solve digestive problems, and many of them mentioned tea. So I bought all of these teas that said “detox.” None of them worked for me.
Then I linked up with my business partner who came from the coffee and tea background so that I could understand the ingredients needed to make my own digestive health teas. My mom had a tea garden (sage, rosemary, lemon grass, stevia), so I went to her for many of the ingredients.
I made a formula and started using it myself, and it completely cleared up my digestive issues. And not in a band-aid type way. It helped to the extent that I didn’t need to drink the tea anymore. I started giving it out to my friends and they loved it. I couldn’t believe how many women were experiencing the same digestive problems I was having.
BARRE3: How did you go from giving your tea blend out to friends to starting a company?
ADI: We made 100 units of the product, and I started posting about it on Instagram. We didn’t have a marketing budget, and I didn’t have any marketing experience. I didn’t go to college. But I fell in love with the ability to connect with potential customers on social media. We grew to 100k followers in the first year and continued to invest in our social media community from there. This social media presence allowed us to reach customers directly, even when we were quite small, and we were able to become profitable in the first year. Now, 5 years in, we have 940k amazing Instagram followers.
BARRE3: You could have just stuck with your hugely successful tea blends. What made you decide to venture into skincare, as well?
ADI: The reason I started Teami Blends in the first place was to help solve my customers’ health issues, naturally. I started seeing that there wasn’t a good solution out there that I could recommend for their beauty and skincare products. I decided to make my own because that is how I could truly ensure the products were clean, vegan, and plant-based with no BS!
BARRE3: The world of skincare products is vast. How did you decide which products to make?
ADI: I ask my community on the @teamiblends Instagram all the time! I am making the products for them, so who better to ask? Once I know what they are looking for in their skincare routine, I start researching holistic alternatives and formulate the products.
BARRE3: What surprised you about venturing into the skincare market?
ADI: I couldn’t believe ingredient profiles to begin with. Some products say they have superfood ingredients in them, but it might be like one drop of that ingredient! I learned that you have to look at the first ingredients listed. Those will be the highest percentages in the product. I started understanding that a lot of skincare back in the day was made to smell a certain way, but not necessarily deliver a great result. When I make my skincare products, I make sure that they are truly helping my customer and elevating their skincare ritual.
BARRE3: How do you source your ingredients for your skincare products? How do you test them?
ADI: I get them from other farms or factories here in America. There are plenty of sources to get raw materials. I always test them on myself. One time an ingredient I ordered gave me a rash, so I was like “Nope, not going in my skincare products!” Mainly, I look for pure, raw ingredients from ethical farmers or factories.
BARRE3: Your skin is glowing. Does that have anything to do with the Glow Facial Oil?
ADI: I use it on my skin in the morning after cleansing and toning my skin. I apply two or three drops in the palm of my hand, rub my palms together to warm up the oil, and apply to my skin in upward, circular motions. This leaves my skin hydrated and glowing. It serves as a great makeup primer, too.
BARRE3: What motivated you to create the Green Tea Detox Mask?
ADI: There are so many masks on the market that are meant to get rid of toxins in the skin, but when I would use these masks my skin would hurt, turn red, and get super dry and flaky. I wasn’t really getting any benefit from them. I made my own mask with three superfood ingredients, matcha, bentonite clay and lemon grass, which gently get rid of toxins in the skin, pull out impurities, and leave your skin feeling soft and nourished. I use this mask two or three times per week, but if you have acne, you’ll want to use it 3 to 5 times per week. It was the first skincare product I ever created, and it is still our best seller!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Adi! Teami’s Glow Facial Oil and Green Tea Detox Mask are available in the B3 Shop. You can find information about Teami’s tea blends on their website.
